Various types of connectors are known in the art for forming connections between an insulated wire and any manner of electronic component. These connectors are typically available as sockets, plugs, and shrouded headers in a vast range of sizes, pitches, and plating options. Many of these conventional connectors are referred to as Insulation Displacement Connectors (IDC) in that they include one or more contact elements incorporating a set of blades or jaws that cut through the insulation around the wire and make electrical contact with the conductive core in a one-step process, thus eliminating the need for wire stripping and crimping, or other wire preparation. IDCs are used extensively in the telecommunications industry, and are becoming more widely used in printed circuit board (PCB) applications.
AVX Corporation of Myrtle Beach, S.C., USA, offers a line of low profile IDC wire to board connectors (Series 9175 -9177) that are surface mounted to a circuit board prior to insertion of wires into contact slots with the aid of a hand tool. This process cuts the wire insulation and enables the conductive wire cores to form a secure conductive joint with the connector.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,845 describes an IDC assembly that can be mounted to a circuit board and secured thereto prior to terminating conductors to the connector. The electrical connector includes a housing having at least one conductor-receiving aperture and an associated terminal-receiving passageway extending from a board mounting face and intersecting each conductor-receiving aperture
U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,616 describes an IDC specifically configured for SMT mounting to a PCB. The connector assembly has at least one contact member with a piercing, cutting or slicing end that is slideably disposed within a main body, and a mounting end that extends from the main body and is attached to a printed circuit board using conventional SMT processes.
IDC wire to board connectors are not suited for all applications, particularly where a rugged connection is required and space is limited between the connected components. For example, the IDCs in the above cited references are relatively complicated in that they require all or a portion of the main body to be movable or slidable relative to the contacts to make final connection with the wires after ends of the contacts have been inserted into through holes in the PCB or surface mounted to the PCB. In addition, a perception to some in the industry is that IDCs are not well suited for stressful environments wherein the electrical component is subjected to prolonged shock and vibrations because the wires tend to move or pull out of the contact blades.
The present invention provides an alternative to IDC wire to board connectors that is rugged, reliable, and allows for easy connection and disconnection of the connector components.